Who is Erfan Soltani, the Iranian protester, whose execution has been halted?

Erfan Soltani, who was arrested on January 10 during protests in Iran, has not been sentenced to death, reported the state media. Soltani, 26, was the first Iranian protester given a death sentence after the protests erupted in the country. According to Judiciary, Soltani ‍is being charged with "colluding against the country's internal security and ‌propaganda activities against ⁠the regime", but this charge does not carry a death sentence.

This comes as Trump announced that he had been told Iran's security forces had stopped killing protesters. He also said that he would "watch it and see" before deciding if US military intervention was still needed.

Who is Erfan Soltani

• Soltani is a clothing shop employee and was arrested north-west of Tehran on January 10 (Thursday) for taking part in the protests that has rocked the country
• He is a resident of Fardis, Karaj
• According to rights groups he was to be executed on Wednesday, though it has now been halted
• One of his family members and a Norway-based human rights organisation also stated that the scheduled execution did not take place yesterday.
• They also said he could become the first protester to be executed as part of the current demonstrations against the Iranian regime
• He is currently lodged ​in the central penitentiary of Karaj

Trump in support of protesters

In recent days, the POTUS has spoken about coming to the aid of protesters in Iran, even posting on Truth Social, "HELP IS ON ITS WAY", while threatening "strong action" over Tehran's violent crackdown on nationwide protests.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he had received assurances from what he described as "very important sources on the other side" that the violent crackdown on demonstrations had stopped and that planned executions would not go ahead. He offered no further details and stressed that the information had not yet been independently confirmed.

"They've said the killing has stopped and the executions won't take place," Trump said. "There were supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won't take place -- and we're going to find out."

The protests that began over the collapse of the Iranian currency and soaring cost of living has spread to more than 180 cities and towns.

The demonstrators are now demanding regime change, which is a huge challenge for the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic revolution.